Snapshot Of GA Real-Estate Market Paints Stunning Picture

Two of the nation's top 50 real-estate markets are in Georgia, according to a WalletHub survey released Wednesday.

Analysts deemed real estate in Athens-Clarke County (No. 30) and Atlanta (No. 31) better than markets in Florida's Tampa and Miami, Wisconsin's Green Bay and Nevada's Las Vegas.

Experts examined 17 factors, including housing-market attractiveness and economic strength, when determining placement among 300 cities. Data analyzed median home-price appreciation, housing affordability and job growth.

Georgia's capital was accompanied by other local towns on the massive list, with three ranking in the top 150. See how they fared below:

According to Zillow, the average home in Georgia valued at $334,839 as of July 31, a 2 percent downward slope since 2024. The median sales price of a house was $343,333.

Home values were up 1.2 percent in Athens, climbing to $338,142, while median sales costs sat at $344,167. There were 115 new listings in Athens.

In Atlanta, homes values were at $396,813, seeing a 4.6 percent decline since a year ago. The market saw 1,059 new listings and a median sales price of $415,000, Zillow reported.

First-time home buyers currently shopping in Georgia may or may not determine these recent findings to be pleasing depending on their budgets.

Be that as it may, people looking to purchase a home the first time may want to try searching in Atlanta. After all, a July 15 WalletHub report showed Atlanta is the top city for first-time home buyers in Georgia and 26th overall in the U.S.

“Buying a home for the first time is a very stressful and difficult process, especially when housing prices are through the roof and interest rates have risen sharply in the past few years," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report.

"The best cities for first-time home buyers not only are affordable both in terms of buying a house and living there afterward, but they also have a lot of housing choices as well as low crime rates and good schools.”

Other Georgia made this particular list for best places for first-time homebuyers, but none of them entered in the top 50. They were Roswell (No. 83), Savannah (No. 91), Augusta (No. 92), Athens-Clarke County (No. 134), Columbus (No. 139) and Sandy Springs (No. 160).

On the other side of the coin, renting could be affordable in Georgia. Atlanta is the most cost-effective statewide for renters, according to a July 8 WalletHub report that indicated Atlanta as the 69th best town for renters in the nation.

Zillow reported the average rental price of a home in Atlanta is $2,100, $30 more than this time last year. Statewide, average home rentals had a price tag of $1,985.

Across the U.S.

Real estate in McKinney, Texas is more supreme than all others in the U.S., according to the WalletHub survey. The midsize city had the best overall score to rank first in the country.

Known for its cajun cuisine, New Orleans, Louisiana ranked last for best real-estate markets with an overall score of 24.

In addition to its full compilation, WalletHub deconstructed its list to rank towns by their sizes: small, midsize and large.

Here are the top 10 real estate markets overall for large cities in the U.S.:

1. Irvine, California
2. Nashville, Tennesee
3. Charlotte, North Carolina
4. Raleigh, North Carolina
5. Henderson, Nevada
6. Fort Worth, Texas
7. Austin, Texas
8. Seattle, Washington
9. Atlanta, Georgia
10. Tampa, Florida

See WalletHub's full methodology here.